Samar Hassan (REUTERS) reports, "Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed on Saturday to continue working to re-balance markets and stressed their commitment to output cuts agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other allies, Saudi state news agency SPA said.The comments came after Iraq's Finance Minister Ali Allawi, who is acting oil minister, visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the oil market with the Saudi energy minister, SPA said." ARAB NEWS adds:
Prince Faisal said that King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government wished to preserve unity among the Iraqi people and that they were ready to cooperate with the new government to achieve common interests and ensure regional security and stability.
He emphasized the Kingdom’s support for Iraq in tackling terrorism and its full respect for Iraqi sovereignty and territorial unity, free from any foreign interference.
He also highlighted the importance of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, which was established as a mechanism to develop bilateral relationships and expand cooperation in the fields of politics, the economy, security, trade and investment.
Iraq's firming up ties to the neighbor it shares a southwestern border with. ASHARQ AL-AWSAT reports:
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from Riyadh, Allawi said he met with the Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Allawi also met with Saudi Arabia’s ministers of commerce and finance.
During his meetings, Allawi presented the officials with political and economic developments in Iraq, encouraging Saudi investment in his country.
Allwai confirmed that his country is committed to the OPEC+ deal agreed on by a Saudi-Russian initiative.
“We are among the countries most affected by the decision to reduce the rate of oil production,” Allawi said, pointing out that most countries have safety nets in the form of investment funds and financial possibilities away from oil. But Iraq, according to Allawi, is not protected against low oil prices.
This as AI-IRAQI Tweets:
Meanwhile a fake account for the ministry w/20k followers is on the loose talking up how Saudi and Iraq are one and how they are Iraq’s closest ally. Minister of Finance said he never had a twitter account!
As THE WALL STREET JOURNAL notes, the Iraqi government is also seeking debt relief from Kuwait.
Who's running Iraq? While the government is calling for closer ties with Saudi Arabia, the government forces are calling for attacks on Saudi Arabia. NRT reports:
A security official of Kataib Hezbollah on Sunday (May 24) called for attacks within Saudi Arabia.
According to al-Hurra, Abu Ali al-Askari specifically called for attacks on members of the Saudi royal family in a message on his Telegram channel and cited the 2019 attack on Aramco facilities in 2019 as examples to follow.
Kataib Hezbollah is part of the PMF -- the militias that have been folded into Iraq's national security forces. A week ago, Baria Alamuddin (ARAB NEWS) noted:
Tharallah (God’s Revenge) emerged in 2003 as a notorious Basra-based, Tehran-funded death squad, hunting down and gruesomely murdering Sunnis, Baathists, and anyone Iranian agents paid them to kill. British soldiers in December 2003 raided a Tharallah torture chamber. It has regained nationwide notoriety in recent days after opening fire on protesters outside its headquarters.
Several hundred demonstrators have been gunned down by paramilitary elements since mass protests erupted in the fall of 2019. Militias are accustomed to routinely getting away with murder. However, in a break with precedent, Tharallah’s headquarters were subsequently raided by security forces and their leader, Yousif Al-Musawi, arrested.
We noted the United Nations report on the protests in yesterday's entry. IANS notes that the report found 123 protesters were kidnapped. Karwan Faidhi Dri (RUDAW) notes that the UN "has verified the death of 490 activists and the injury of 7,783 others since October." Hiwa Shilani (KURDISTAN 24) explains:
On Saturday, the United Nations published a report on the abduction of multiple demonstrators in Iraq since late October that detailed the experiences of some, including the circumstances in which they were taken and their subsequent interrogation and torture.
The Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) documented 123 cases of people who disappeared between October 1, 2019, and March 21, 2020. A total of 98 individuals have been found while the other 25 are still missing.
“Absence of accountability for these acts continues to contribute to the pervasive environment of impunity in relation to demonstration-linked reports of violations and abuses,” the UN report highlighted.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, stated, “The establishment of a high-level fact-finding committee by the new Government to investigate casualties and related harm is a crucial step toward justice and accountability.”
On the kidnappings, THE NEW ARAB adds:
In every incident, those targeted for abductions had either participated in the protests or provided support to demonstrators, UNAMI said. Nearly all of the abductees were either activists prior to the protests, played significant roles in the demonstrations, or criticised authorities or armed groups on social media, it added.
Abductees were forced into vehicles by masked and armed men close to demonstration sites, according to UNAMI. Many described being blindfolded and driven to locations where they were detained.
All of them were "interrogated" by their captors, with questioning commonly focused on their role in the demonstrations, allegations of links to foreign states - particularly the United States - and their political affiliations.
All male abductees described being subjected to torture such as severe beatings, electrocution, hosing or bathing in cold water, being hung from the ceiling by their arms and legs, being urinated on, being photographed nude, death threats and threats to their families, UNAMI reported.
Female abductees said they were beaten, threatened with rape and touched in their "private areas".
The new prime minister was sworn in on May 7th. Among the problems facing the new government is coronavirus. Hiwa Shilani (KURDISTAN 24) notes,
On the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holidays, the Iraqi health ministry reported 197 new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announcing twenty new cases over the same period.
Iraqi health authorities said that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections recorded throughout Iraq reached 4,469 on Sunday, including 160 deaths, and a total of 2,738 recoveries.
Meanwhile, KRG's total cases have increased to 496, including five deaths, and 402 recoveries, the regional health ministry said in a Sunday statement. There are also now 88 active cases.
The large count is still likely an under-count. Last month, the government suspended REUTERS briefly for reporting on actual numbers of people in Iraq infected with coronavirus.
The following sites updated:
